Four Birds on Wild Grasses
Unidentified maker, Chinese, 1644 - 1911
Unknown Chinese, Chinese
Qing Dynasty, Qian-long Period, 1736-1795
Album leaf; colored inks and wash on silk
Mount: 13 7/8 × 13 7/8 in. (35.2 × 35.2 cm)
Image: 8 7/8 × 8 7/8 in. (22.5 × 22.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Dorothy Marion Levitt Beskind and D. Herbert Beskind, Class of 1936
P.958.344.9
Geography
Place Made: China, East Asia, Asia
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Watercolor
Research Area
Watercolor
On view
Inscriptions
Not signed.
Label
During the Qing Dynasty, it was common for artists to learn how to portray birds from painting manuals. These manuals, which feature prints of bird paintings by famous predecessors, guided artists on how to depict different kinds of birds in various poses and settings. The artist of this album leaf likely followed such manuals while adding creative adjustments to the composition to emphasize the four birds’ relationship. These non-human subjects interact through their gazes, conveying a sense of calm collegiality.
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Course History
Art History 34.02, Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages 62.03, Chinese Painting, Ziliang (Alex) Liu, Spring 2023
Exhibition History
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 16, 2024-March 1, 2025.
Chinese Art from the College Collection, Barrows Print Room, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 30-September 4, 1978.
Provenance
Dorothy Marion Levitt Beskind (1917-2014) and David Herbert Beskind (1915-2015), Class of 1936, New York, New York; given to present collection, 1958.
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